13 Going on Crazy HAS MOVED

If you subscribed to my RSS feed (first thank you!!) I just wanted to let you know that I will no longer be posting at this site. If you like to continue to read 13GOC, I am now at www.13GoingonCrazy.com. I have a whole new look and now I am self-hosted, which is super exciting! Please take note, that you will not get any updates if you are following my old feed (you will have to sign up on my new site.) Sorry about the inconvenience, but 13GOC is going to be a lot more fun for everyone!!

Thanks for following, happy running & reading!

Remember wherever you are, there you go!

Melissa

Epiphany

Not everything is meant to be okay. Hard times will come to us all. People come and go in our lives. What matters in the end is not what happened, but how we prevail and push through. Life is a magical journey and it's not always about the destination, it's those moments that count and take your breath away. I feel as though I am on my home. Tonight I had a great run, not my old pace, but a new pace which I am equally proud of. With time, practice, and persistence I will push beyond these walls and beat my old running pace. My newest venture in my life, 13 Going on Crazy, has connected me with some amazing people who are examples of not falling to your fears, but instead, disregarding life's limitations and living life to the fullest.

Remember wherever you are, there you go.

Melissa

Disneyland Gluten-Free Style...

Diningout is supposed be a fun and social experience, but when you have CeliacDisease or any other food allergies for that matter, it could present itself to be a verystressful and nerve wracking situation. I was hoping that Disneyland would be alittle less stressful being that it is considered the happiest place on earth.This past Mother’s Day my Mother and I spent two days at Disneyland; some mealswere tastier than others and some less stressful than others.

Ifyou have any food allergies or concerns I highly recommend that prior tostarting your day at Disneyland that you stop at City Hall on Main Street and pick upthe Celiac Offerings Dining Options packet or discuss your dietary concerns with them.They most likely have a packet addressing your needs. (I have attached theCeliac Offerings packet to make the planning a little easier)

After stopping by City Hall I head over to the RiverBelle Terrace in Adventureland. There I ordered the Mississippi Turkey Breast Sandwich and requested a gluten free bun. I can't begin express how easy it was to order my lunch. I thought WOW if it is this easy to order a sandwich I am sure that the rest of my visit would be easy. I was dead wrong on this. Not only was the sandwich large enough to share, but it was delicious. Fresh carved turkey like on Thanksgiving day and a gluten free bun that did not taste like it was missing flour.

Mississippi Turkey Breast Sandwich & a gluten free bun

I don't know about you, but in my family we always manage to eat our way through Disney. Just because I can't eat gluten does not mean that this rule does not still apply. One of my favorite snacks at Disneyland is found at Tropical Imports in Adventureland. Healthy and not full of junk...and easy to order! Just grab and go!

Fresh Strawberries & Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Around dinner time is when I started to hit a brick wall in regards to food handlers not being knowledgeable enough about Celiac Disease and gluten free dining. My dinner took forever to make and my mom's dinner was severed to her way before mine probably started even cooking. Lesson learned: be sure to request that all meals are brought out at the same time. I did not actually learn this lesson until the following day of eating in shifts.

Tangaroa Terrace Kids Salmon, broccoli, & white rice

Being that I am lactose intolerant my choice in dessert was not my shinning moment, but who could resist ice cream from Gibson Girl on Main Street? What should have been an easy order was beyond difficult. It took 6 people to order 2 scoops of ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and sprinkles. Keep in mind that mine had to be scooped from fresh cartons in the back to avoid cross contamination. The end result was not necessarily worth all of the stress, but it was absolutely delicious.

Gibson Girl Ice Cream

If I already did not eat enough the prior day I was on to round two of my Disney Dining experience. I started my second day off at Storytellers Restaurant which is at The Grand California Hotel. Let me preface this with I was rather brave to order pancakes as the last time I ate pancakes was after the Disneyland Half Marathon in 2009. They made me so sick that I never ordered them again. This time around it was different. Thanks to Chef Chris I had the most amazing pancakes ever. He used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix and Pierre Water. No eggs, butter, oil, or even milk. I am still dreaming of how out of this world these pancakes were. Don't walk, run to Storytellers if you have the opportunity to eat breakfast in Disneyland.

Gluten Free Pancakes

While not as exciting as my breakfast for lunch I headed over to Redd Rocketts Pizza Port. There I ordered rice noodles with marinara sauce or tomato basil sauce. This was by far not my favorite meal and I feel that being a pizza place they need to improve their gluten free pasta.

Redd Rocketts Pizza Port GF Rice Noodles with Marinara Sauce

Day two of my afternoon snacking was the world famous Dole Whip. While I wanted something from the Jolly Holiday Bakery it was rather disappointing as all they had to offer was prepackaged bakery goods, which I could have purchased at my local grocery store. I feel that the Jolly Holiday Bakery really missed their mark as they should have better options for gluten free customers.

I had an amazing two days with my mom and we ended our weekend back at Storytellers. My favorite meal for dinner at Storytellers is the children's salmon with broccoli, and white rice. This salmon is much better than Tangaroa Terrace at The Disneyland Hotel. The waiter also brought gluten free pita bread, which is the same crust that they use for the gluten free pizza. For a safe, stress free meal I highly recommend Storytellers Cafe.

Gluten Free Bread

Salmon, white rice, and broccoli

Guess what, Mousketeers? Disneyland is totally celiac-friendly. The options might be limited, but there is still many offerings throughout Disneyland. Remember to advocate for yourself and request to speak with a chef prior to ordering. I think that I found my dream job...working for Disney's culinary department developing and finding the best foods for gluten free and allergy suffers.

For your reference:

Disneyland Celiac Offerings Dining Options

Race Number 9...Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon Recap

Yesterday I participated in the 14th Annual Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon. Was I ready for race number 9? No! Though it was a beautiful course, due to illness I have not been able to run as much as I would have liked. The Friday prior to the race I started taking a new medication via injection so my thighs were already sore from that making it even harder to run. Am I glad that I participated in this race and honored those who have served our country? Yes! It was a beautiful course in a beautiful city. With every race that I participate I always learn new things about myself and who I am as a runner. I am proud so say that I am strong and determined and will not let anything slow me down!

Just like Starting Over...

First of all, I apologize for going MIA on you for the past couple of weeks. It has been an incredibly busy and stressful past few weeks. The good news is I’m moving! I am one step away from being on my own! I'm bubble wrapping my life and moving to Marina Del Rey! From here on out it’s all sunny skies (AKA “The Fun Stuff”). Which means I get to start getting my life back on track. Also? I get to discover lots of great new running routes and running clubs in the Marina. That’s easily the best part of this. The part of my life, which I am still adjusting to is that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Figuring out what to eat and what not to eat has been quite a challenge. (More to come on that topic as well.)

I’m also looking forward to having a bit more time for me, which I plan to use to regain all of the healthy running habits I’ve lost over the past few months since I got sick. The double whammy of now being a Gluten Free runner, enforced inactivity followed by an incredibly busy past weeks mean I’m completely out of my running routine. It is now a chore to simply put on my shoes, I have to really be motivated to get outside and go for a run. Between not feeling well and getting back into the swing of things it takes a lot of energy for me to get moving.

I’m not going to lie: I’ve spent the past couple of days feeling kind of down about where I am with my running, health and fitness lately. In a lot of ways, it feels like I haven’t really made any progress over the past 8 months towards where I was before I started 13 Going on Crazy. The entire premise behind my challenge was to make myself more accountable. It feels like every time I look back, whether it’s a few weeks or a few months, all I can think is, “I thought I’d be further along by now.” I need to stop directing all of my negative energy on why I can't/don't run. Instead I need to start listing all the reasons why I love running. The sun on my face, the wind in my hair,  discovering new routes, to name a few.

And yes I just realized that is an incredibly unproductive way to look at life. All of this negative energy does is bring me down, rob me of my energy, and make me feel like it’s not even worth trying anymore. Besides it’s blatantly not true. No, I haven’t done as much training for my upcoming Memorial Day Laguna Beach Half Marathon as I would have liked, but I can make it through a 5-mile run without stomach pain. A year ago I was fine, or even 6 months ago. I need to remember and recognize that yes my original goal going into this was just to finish it, not to worry about my time, and understand that I am competing against me and only me. I’ve still got 5 races left and I know that I will be just fine. And besides who quits when the finish line is insight?

No, I may not be even remotely close where I was last September, which brings me back to the title of this post; it’s just like starting over. I will need to accept and be proud of my ‘new’ pace and be sure to interval run at all times. Most importantly I will need to really listen and respect my body. I’m slowly regaining my fitness and endurance, day by day. I now realize that regardless of how I am feeling I need to push myself even if it is just a walk around the block. Besides, if I keep consistent with my workouts, everything will fall into place and I will begin to be the runner that I once was. I already have the proper nutrition thanks to my amazing nutritionist, I don’t really have a choice in that department, but it honestly helps to have proper nutrition when training. For obvious reasons I know the better I eat the better I train. 

I’m eager to get out and hit the pavement again. Am I going to run a new personal record? Unlikely. Can I run a good, solid 13.1 miles to the best of my race-day ability? Absolutely! Who knows, I might even surprise myself a little with the results, if I put the work in.

I'm not too sure who is out there reading this, but I would love to hear from you. Please comment below and share with 13 Going on Crazy why you love to run and the hurdles that you have faced in your own running routines and how you over came them. 

Remember where ever you go there you are...

Melissa

Running With a Chronic Illness

Life has thrown my way another curve ball. Last Wednesday I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is an auto-immune disease that destroys the small intestines, causing the body to attack itself (resulting in all kinds of crazy symptoms and other diseases), and resulting in malabsorption from years of eating gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and cross-contaminated oats. Gluten can be found in breads, soups, cosmetics, lotions, vitamins, it’s here, there, and everywhere! I have quickly learned that not all chicken breasts are created equal! Once you stop eating gluten, the body can begin to repair itself. Although it may take years, diet is the only way to control this disease. 

While my symptoms have been debilitating at times and has greatly impacted my running this winter, I am trying my best to not only run whenever possible, but rebuild my strength and be the best runner possible. I am responsible for the quality of my life, I need to start listening and responding to my body. If I need to walk so I walk. I feel that I have the strength to run, then I will run. Regardless of what my Type-A personality expects from me I have to remember that I am competing against myself and only myself. 

I will write more about my experience being a G-Free runner and all the new foods that I try in future posts.  

Are you a G-Free runner? Are you a runner with chronic illness? How has chronic illness affected your running? Comments as always are appreciated!

Remember wherever you go, there you are. 

Featurette....

Very exciting news over at 13 Going on Crazy!! I am being featured today on FitBlogger!! Please check it out!! I would love your feedback and comments!!

Question of the Day: Share with 13 Going on Crazy how long you have been running and what is the best thing running has done to change your life? Ok so maybe it has done many things!! Feel free to share all of them!